# Networking subsystem — recon & bring-up plan

Goal: bring the pod network up under the emulator so a pod boots the
production way (`netnub -f BTL4OPT`, mission egg delivered **over the
wire**) instead of the `-egg test.egg` dev bypass. This is also the
substrate the ops-console port will plug into.

## What the pod network actually is (recon 2026-07-04)

The stack, bottom to top:

1. **Ethernet NIC + Novell ODI** (AUTOEXEC.BAT): `lsl` (Link Support
   Layer) → `lnepci` (Lance/PCnet PCI ODI driver) → **`odipkt`** (Dan
   Lanciani's ODI→Packet-Driver shim). The ODI/Netware login side
   (IPXODI/VLM/NET LOGIN in STARTNET.BAT) is for file-server access; the
   game itself only needs the **packet-driver interface** odipkt exposes.
   `NET.CFG`: LNEPCI, FRAME Ethernet_II + 802.2.
2. **WATTCP** — the TCP/IP stack. Confirmed by `WATTCP.CFG` in
   `REL410/BT`, `REL410/RP`, and per-pod `VGL_LABS/THISPOD`:
   ```
   my_ip = 200.0.0.113   netmask = 255.255.255.0
   gateway = 200.0.0.1   nameserver = 200.0.0.1
   ```
   So each pod is a static host on an isolated **200.0.0.0/24** LAN; the
   ops console is almost certainly **200.0.0.1**.
3. **NetNub** (`netnub.exe`, real-mode) — launches the game as a child
   (`netnub -f BTL4OPT`) and is the network server for the
   protected-mode game. Interface (`NetNub/NETNUB.HPP`): a shared `Netcom`
   struct (version 11, 64KB buffer) + a software interrupt. The game sets
   a Function code (TCP_OPEN=3, TCP_LISTEN=4, TCP_CLOSE=5,
   RESOLVE_ADDRESS=6, CHECK_SOCKET=7, UDP_*, plus remote file
   OPEN/READ/WRITE/SEEK/CLOSE 12-19), copies the marked fields to real
   mode, INTs, copies back. `tcp_Socket` is ~4300 bytes = classic WATTCP.
4. **L4NetworkManager** (`L4NET.HPP/.TCP`) — the game's net brick. The
   **console is master and connects to the pods**; the pod receives
   `ReceiveEggFileMessage` (the mission egg), replies
   `AcknowledgeEggFileMessage` ("connected, ready, send the next host"),
   and tracks `HostConnected/HostDisconnected`. If the console drops, the
   pod is built to auto-start anyway.

Topology to replicate:
```
   [ops console 200.0.0.1] --TCP--> [pod 200.0.0.113]  (+ more pods .114..)
        (master, egg source)          (listens, ACKs, runs mission)
```

## Emulator enablers (already in the fork)

- **NE2000** ISA NIC emulated (`hardware/ne2000.cpp`, Bochs-derived);
  config `[ne2000] ne2000=true, nicbase=, nicirq=, macaddr=, backend=`.
- **Two Ethernet backends** built: `misc/ethernet_pcap.cpp` (bridge to a
  host NIC via npcap) and `misc/ethernet_slirp.cpp` (user-mode virtual
  net / NAT). Plus `ethernet_nothing`.

Key simplification: the emulated card is an **NE2000, not a PCI Lance**, so
`lnepci` won't bind. We don't need the Novell ODI chain at all — WATTCP
finds a packet driver by scanning INT 0x60-0x80 for the `PKT DRVR`
signature, so we load a generic **NE2000 packet driver** (Crynwr
`NE2000.COM`) directly against the emulated card's base/IRQ. That drops
lsl/lnepci/odipkt/VLM entirely and hands NetNub/WATTCP the packet
interface they expect.

## Bring-up plan

**Backend choice.** Two viable paths:
- *pcap + host-only adapter (recommended, matches real topology):* bridge
  the NE2000 to a host virtual switch; run the pod at 200.0.0.113 and the
  stand-in console at 200.0.0.1 on that segment. WATTCP's static IP + LAN
  assumptions hold exactly; the console connects inbound to the pod with
  no NAT. Cost: npcap + a host-only/loopback adapter + admin.
- *slirp (fallback, self-contained):* no host NIC/admin, but it's NAT and
  defaults to 10.0.2.0/24 — the pod LISTENS, so inbound needs slirp
  host-forwarding and a guest-network/IP reconciliation with WATTCP's
  hard-coded 200.0.0.113. Investigate whether DOSBox-X slirp allows the
  custom net + static guest IP + inbound forward cleanly.

**Milestones**
1. **NIC up**: `[ne2000]` on, NE2000.COM packet driver loaded, WATTCP/
   NetNub start clean; pod boots via `netnub -f BTL4OPT` (no `-egg`) and
   sits waiting for the console. Verify NetNub reports net address
   200.0.0.113 and a TCP_LISTEN is queued. (New scratch conf, mirror the
   RIO/sound conf pattern.)
2. **L3/L4 reachability**: from the host segment, confirm the pod answers
   ARP/ping at 200.0.0.113 and a raw TCP connect to its listen port
   completes (proves NE2000↔backend↔host path end-to-end).
3. **Decode the console→pod egg protocol**: `NetworkPacketHeader` +
   message framing from `network.hpp`/`hostmgr.hpp` + the
   ReceiveEggFileMessage layout, cross-checked with a live capture of the
   pod's listen/ACK. (Pin the listen port here — not yet found in source;
   grep NETNUB.EXE strings / capture.)
4. **Eggs over the wire**: a minimal host-side **stand-in console**
   (Python) connects to the pod, pushes a mission egg, handles the ACK →
   pod runs the mission with no `-egg` bypass. **This is the headline
   goal.**
5. *(later, joins the console-port workstream):* replace the stand-in
   with the ported/emulated Mac ops console; multi-pod coordination
   (HostConnected/Disconnected, mission review, camera ship).

## Milestone 1 — DONE (2026-07-04): pod boots on the network path

Verified end to end under DOSBox-X (slirp backend), no `-egg` bypass:
- `[ne2000] ne2000=true, nicbase=300, nicirq=3, backend=slirp` → NE2000
  emulated at Base=0x300 irq=3; slirp 4.9.1 initialized.
- **The Novell ODI chain works against the emulated NE2000**, no external
  packet driver needed: `lsl` → `ne2000` (Novell/Eagle NE2000 MLID v1.53,
  from NWCLIENT) → `odipkt` (FTP Software ODI packet driver). ODIPKT
  installed at **SINT 0x60**, MLID NE2000, MAC CE:3D:72:67:38:69, frames
  Ethernet_II (board 1) + 802.2 (board 2).
- GOTCHA: the ODI tools read `NET.CFG` from the directory the `.COM` loads
  *from*, and the stock `NWCLIENT\NET.CFG` says `Link Driver LNEPCI` — with
  no NE2000 section the MLID defaults to 802.2-only and odipkt fails
  ("An MLID could not be found"). Fix without touching ALPHA_1: keep an
  emulator `NET.CFG` (`Link Driver NE2000` + `FRAME Ethernet_II`) beside
  copies of lsl/ne2000/odipkt on a scratch drive and load from there.
- `netnub -f btl4opt` (no egg) launches the game as `btl4opt -net 250224`,
  sets up the game↔netnub channel at **INT 0x61** (separate from odipkt's
  0x60), initializes the network manager ("Changing blocking from 0 to 1"),
  and the game boots through the VPX handshake to an open (blank) render
  window — **waiting for a console to deliver a mission egg.**

Working scratch files: `scratchpad/net_stageB.conf`,
`scratchpad/net/{NET.CFG,LSL.COM,NE2000.COM,ODIPKT.COM}`. Launch env:
VPXLOG + VPX_RESPOND=1 + VPX_RENDER=1 (VPX board must answer or the game
exits before networking).

## Console side: a Mac emulator stands in for the ops console (user, 2026-07-04)

The user is building a **Mac emulator running the real 410console** as the
console peer (instead of a from-scratch Python stand-in). This merges the
networking and console-port workstreams: the real console software will
connect to the pod and push eggs. Implication for topology — two separate
emulators (DOSBox pod + Mac console) must share an L2 segment, which slirp
(NAT, per-process isolation) cannot bridge. **Plan: move the pod's NE2000
to `backend=pcap` on a host-only/loopback adapter; bridge the Mac emulator
to the same adapter; pod=200.0.0.113, console=200.0.0.1 on 200.0.0.0/24.**
Then milestone 3 (protocol) can be captured live from the real console
traffic rather than reverse-engineered blind.

## Console emulator = SheepShaver (2026-07-04)

The real ops console is a **Power Macintosh 6100/66** (PowerPC 601) →
emulate with **SheepShaver** (PPC Mac, Mac OS 7.5.2–9.0.4). Basilisk II
(68k) is out. GOTCHA: the 6100's OWN ROM does NOT work in SheepShaver
("Unsupported ROM type" — SheepShaver emulates a PCI 9500; the 6100 is
NuBus). Use a compatible old-world PPC ROM instead (7100/66, 7500, 7600,
or 8500) — PPC apps are Toolbox/OS-based, not ROM-specific, so the
410console app runs regardless. Target Mac OS 7.5.5–7.6.1 (console era).
Networking: SheepShaver TAP ↔ DOSBox-X NE2000 pcap, both bridged to a
host adapter on 200.0.0.0/24 (console .1, pod .113).

**Console 4.10 OS compatibility (from the binary, 2026-07-04):** classic
PowerPC PowerPlant/CodeWarrior app; PEF imports are only `InterfaceLib`,
`MathLib`, `ObjectSupportLib`. NO `AppearanceLib` (⇒ does NOT need Mac OS
8) and NO Open Transport libs (⇒ classic **MacTCP API**). Resource fork
has the startup check "TCP/IP not installed. Install either MacTCP or
OpenTransport…" via Gestalt/SysEnvirons — so it accepts either stack.
→ **Runs System 7.1.2–Mac OS 9.0.4; practical floor 7.5** (ObjectSupportLib
ships with 7.5). **Recommended SheepShaver target: System 7.5.5 / 7.6.1**
(period-correct for a 6100, includes Open Transport 1.1.x so the TCP/IP
Gestalt check passes, most stable under SheepShaver w/ a 7100/7500/8500
old-world ROM). Set TCP/IP control panel to 200.0.0.1.

**Leverage the real 6100 (user has it):** (1) image its hard drive → get
the exact console software + OS + MacTCP/OpenTransport config → drop into
SheepShaver for a faithful reproducible console; (2) fastest path to a
first egg + LIVE protocol capture = put the real 6100 on a physical
Ethernet with the pcap-bridged pod (needs an AAUI→RJ45 transceiver) and
capture the console→pod egg exchange off the wire (hands us milestone 3).
Sequence: real 6100 first (seeds image + capture) → SheepShaver as the
archival console built from that image.

## Console software EXTRACTED + protocol port FOUND (2026-07-04)

The user unstuffed `410consoleArchive.sit` (via infinitemac.org) to
`4_10extractedConsole/`. Contents: **`Console 4.10`** (the app), per-site
config, fonts, logs. This means the dead 6100 is NOT a blocker — we have
the console software directly; run it in SheepShaver (no disk image
needed; fresh Mac OS 7.6.1/8.1 + MacTCP set to 200.0.0.1).

- **App is PowerPC** — data fork magic `Joy!peffpwpc` (PEF/PowerPC),
  Metrowerks CodeWarrior 1993-95; 3.4MB resource fork. Confirms
  SheepShaver (needs standard shared libs: InterfaceLib/MathLib, present
  in any 7.5+ install).
- **`Console.ini`** is the master config: `[NetworkEndpoint::Cockpit::*]`
  sections define every pod. **THE TCP PORT IS 1501** (`defaultPort` /
  `localHostPort`) — this answers the milestone-3 "listen port unknown"
  question. Console connects to each pod IP:1501; pod LISTENS on 1501.

Cockpit endpoint roster (base Console.ini) — our emulated pod = **"Puck"
200.0.0.113**:
| cockpit | IP | hostType |
|---|---|---|
| Frequent Flyer | 200.0.0.11 (sic) | 0 |
| Privateer | 200.0.0.112 | 0 |
| **Puck** | **200.0.0.113** | 0 |
| Carpe Diem | 200.0.0.114 | 0 |
| Man O' War | 200.0.0.115 | 0 |
| Divine Wind | 200.0.0.116 | 0 |
| Icarus | 200.0.0.117 | 0 |
| Gypsy | 200.0.0.118 | 0 |
| Alpha Mission Review | 200.0.0.119 | 2 |
| Alpha Camera | 200.0.0.120 | 2 |

hostType 0 = playable cockpit, 2 = special (mission-review / camera ship).
`ini Folder/` holds real per-venue configs (DBAtlanta/Chicago/Houston/
Toronto/LaZerPark/... — the actual VWE centers), same .11x/1501 scheme.

Revised topology: SheepShaver console @200.0.0.1 → TCP 200.0.0.113:1501 →
pod "Puck". Remaining protocol unknown is just the on-stream message
framing (NetworkPacketHeader + ReceiveEggFileMessage) — capture it once
the console connects, or read it from network.hpp.

## Egg-delivery protocol — decoded from source (2026-07-04)

Decoded from `CODE/RP/MUNGA/{NETWORK,RECEIVER,HOSTID}.HPP` +
`MUNGA_L4/L4NET.HPP`. The real send/receive *implementation* (framing on
the byte stream) did NOT survive in the archive — only headers + a test
harness (`L4NET.TCP`'s `TestClass`, `#if 0`). So the logical message
layout below is solid; two low-level details (stream framing + endianness)
need a live capture or a binary disasm to pin — see caveats.

**Transport:** console → TCP connect to pod IP : **1501** → the pod
(NetNub `TCP_LISTEN`) accepts. All base types are 32-bit
(`Enumeration=int`, `size_t`, `LWord`, `Time::ticks=long` → 4 bytes each).

**On-wire unit = NetworkPacket = NetworkPacketHeader + a Receiver::Message.**

NetworkPacketHeader (16 bytes):
| off | field | type |
|--|--|--|
| 0 | clientID | ClientID enum (0=NetworkMgr,2=HostMgr,5=Console...) |
| 4 | gameID | Enumeration |
| 8 | fromHost | HostID (Enumeration) |
| 12 | timeStamp | Time (long ticks) |

Receiver::Message header (12 bytes) that every message starts with:
| off | field | type |
|--|--|--|
| 0 | messageLength | size_t (= sizeof the whole message) |
| 4 | messageID | Enumeration (ReceiveEggFileMessageID etc.) |
| 8 | messageFlags | LWord (bit0 ReliableFlag=1) |

**ReceiveEggFileMessage** (the egg carrier; messageLength = 1024):
| off | field | type |
|--|--|--|
| 0 | (Receiver::Message header) | 12 B |
| 12 | sequenceNumber | int (chunk index) |
| 16 | notationFileLength | int (total egg size) |
| 20 | thisMessageLength | int (bytes valid in this chunk, ≤1000) |
| 24 | notationData[1000] | char (the egg chunk) |

So a full egg packet on the wire = **16 (header) + 1024 (message) = 1040
bytes** — matches the `nb≤1040` payload cap seen on the VPX/iserver link.
**Egg-delivery algorithm:** the console splits the mission egg (a text
"notation file", same INI/notation format as Console.ini) into
ceil(len/1000) chunks; sends each as a ReceiveEggFileMessage with
sequenceNumber 0..N, notationFileLength=total, thisMessageLength≤1000. The
pod's `ReceiveEggFileMessageHandler` reassembles into `eggTempBuffer` by
sequence, and when `notationFileLength` bytes have arrived, parses it as
the mission notation file. Pod replies `AcknowledgeEggFileMessage`
("connected, ready, next host"). `messageID` values start at
`NetworkClient::NextMessageID`; ReceiveEggFileMessageID is the first
NetworkManager message ID.

**Caveats to confirm with the first live capture (or a binary disasm of
Console 4.10 send / BTL4OPT receive):**
1. *Stream framing:* whether each 1040-B NetworkPacket is one discrete
   NetNub/WATTCP record, or the receiver frames within the TCP stream via
   the leading `messageLength`. (NetNub `RECEIVE_PACKET` returns up to
   1600 B; MAX aligns with one packet.)
2. *Endianness:* console is **big-endian PPC**, pod is **little-endian
   x86** — the multi-byte header/length ints must be byte-swapped by one
   side (or sent in network order). `notationData` (egg text) is
   endian-agnostic. The capture will show which order the length fields
   use; a stand-in sender must match it.

Everything needed to PARSE a capture and BUILD a stand-in egg-sender is
here except those two bytes-on-the-wire details, which the console-connect
milestone resolves immediately.

## Console VM standup (user, 2026-07-04): SheepShaver + OS 9.0.4 + old-world ROM

Valid combo (old-world ROMs support the full 7.5.2–9.0.4 range); OS 9's
Open Transport provides the MacTCP-API compat the app's Gestalt check
wants, so Console 4.10 runs. Networking initially set to "Basilisk II
Router" — NOTE that's **NAT** (assigns a 10.x IP, routes to host), fine
for building/updating the VM but it CANNOT reach the pod at 200.0.0.113.
For the console↔pod link both must be **bridged (TAP)** on one L2 segment:
console SheepShaver TCP/IP = manual 200.0.0.1 / 255.255.255.0 on a TAP;
pod DOSBox-X moves off `backend=slirp` to **`backend=pcap`** bound to the
same TAP/bridge (200.0.0.113 already via WATTCP). Then the console's
outbound TCP to 200.0.0.113:1501 reaches the pod and we capture the egg
exchange (resolves the framing + endianness caveats above).

## MILESTONE: real console <-> real pod talking over the wire (2026-07-05)

The emulated SheepShaver console and the emulated DOSBox pod now exchange
the live console protocol on TCP 1501. Hard-won setup (all required):

1. **DOSBox-X pcap backend had to be rebuilt + npcap DLL path.** config.h
   had `C_PCAP 1` but the stale `ethernet.o` predated it; force-recompile
   (`rm src/misc/ethernet.o ethernet_pcap.o; make`). Runtime: npcap installs
   its DLLs in `C:\Windows\System32\Npcap\` (npcap-only mode), NOT System32,
   so DOSBox couldn't load wpcap.dll -> **launch dosbox-x.exe with
   `C:\Windows\System32\Npcap` prepended to PATH.**
2. **Two-TAP Windows bridge** (single shared TAP fails: SheepShaver holds the
   user-mode handle, DOSBox rides NDIS, frames don't cross). Console
   SheepShaver -> TAP1 (`ether tap` + etherguid); pod -> TAP2; both bridged.
3. **TAP2 media status = Always-Connected** (registry MediaStatus=1 on the
   TAP2 class key, needs elevation; the GUI toggle didn't persist). Without
   it TAP2 reports "unplugged" and the bridge won't forward to it.
4. **Pod pcap binds to the BRIDGE MINIPORT, not a member TAP.** Injecting on
   a bridge *member* (TAP2) isn't re-forwarded by the bridge (the pod TX'd
   but the console never saw it). Bind DOSBox `realnic` to the bridge
   miniport = "Microsoft Network Adapter Multiplexor Driver". GOTCHA: DOSBox
   `realnic` matches a substring of the pcap device NAME (`\Device\NPF_{GUID}`)
   and parses a *leading-digit* value as an interface index -- the bridge
   GUID `5DB5521D...` starts with 5 -> picked iface #5 (Bluetooth!). Use a
   letter-leading fragment: `realnic=DB5521D`.
5. Diagnostics: added `PCAP TX/RX` counters to `ethernet_pcap.cpp`
   (SendPacket/GetPackets) -- confirmed the pod WAS transmitting all along;
   the bridge forwarding was the only gap. Capture the wire with
   `dumpcap -i <bridge#> -f "arp or tcp port 1501" -w cap.pcapng`.

**Verified protocol on the wire (little-endian, matches the source decode):**
- Console->pod **StateQuery** (32B): hdr clientID=4(App) gameID=0 fromHost=1
  ts=.. ; msg len=16 id=3 flags=0 ; body requestingHost=1.
- Pod->console **StateResponse** (40B): hdr **clientID=5 (ConsoleClientID)**
  gameID=0 fromHost=0 ts=.. ; msg len=24 id=1 **flags=1 (Reliable)** ; body
  respondingHostID=0, **applicationState=1**, application=1 (BTL4/BattleTech).
  (My earlier synthetic guess had clientID=4/flags=0/host=1/state=0 -- all
  wrong, which is why the real console rejected the stand-in. These are the
  correct values for pod_responder.py.)
- Console polls StateQuery ~every 2s; pod ACKs + StateResponse each time.
  Clean 3-way handshake; zero-length "dup ACKs" are benign keepalives.

OPEN: with this working, the console still hadn't enabled mission-send in
the stripped-down (keyboard-only, no-RIO, no-sound) pod boot -- retrying
with a full RIO+sound boot (`net_full.conf`) so the pod presents its normal
state (applicationState may change when fully booted). Need the console UI
readout to know what state it wants before it will send the mission egg.

## EGG DELIVERED OVER THE WIRE (2026-07-05) — headline goal achieved

The real SheepShaver console sent a real mission egg to the real DOSBox pod
over the emulated network, captured + reassembled byte-perfect:
- Console -> pod, TCP 1501, **8x ReceiveEggFileMessage chunks** (1040-B
  NetworkPackets each = 16 hdr + 1024 msg), **7514 bytes total**, declared
  notationFileLength=7514 (exact match). Reassembled with
  `net-tools/decode_egg.py`; saved `net-tools/captured_cavern_mission.egg`.
- The egg is a text NOTATION file (same format as Console.ini). Contents =
  the operator's actual mission: `[mission] adventure=BattleTech map=cavern
  scenario=freeforall time=night weather=clear temperature=27 length=120`;
  `[pilots] pilot=200.0.0.113`; `[200.0.0.113] name=cyd vehicle=madcat
  experience=veteran badge=VGL dropzone=one color=Grey advancedDamage=1
  role=Role::Default` + embedded pilot badge bitmaps + ordinal fonts.
- Confirms the whole decoded protocol end to end: StateQuery/StateResponse
  poll, then egg chunks, pod ACKs, no `-egg` bypass. **Networking DONE.**

**BUT the pod CRASHES loading the mission** (game-side, NOT network):
`nn.log` shows `Reference to a page you don't own / PF cr2=FF008B5B /
Unhandled exception 000E at 00FF:219D ErrCode 0004 / NETNUB Munga exited
code 14` -- a page fault (wild pointer 0xFF008B5B) in the mission-load path
right after the egg arrives. Suspects: (a) RIO was DISABLED for this run
(net_pcap.conf) and the mission sets up the player's vehicle (madcat) /
controls, which may deref a null RIO/control struct; (b) missing cavern
content or a pilot-config/badge path bug. Note: cavern/night via `-egg
test.egg` with RIO ENABLED rendered fine earlier this session, so RIO-off
is the leading suspect. Real pods run RIO-on headless (no focus stealing),
so this may not reproduce there. NEXT: retry with RIO enabled + DOSBox
`priority=highest,highest` (so clicking the console can't starve the RIO's
ACK deadline during load); if it still faults, disassemble around game
code 00FF:219D. This joins the Division-renderer/crash workstream.

## FULL NETWORKED MISSION WORKS END TO END (2026-07-05, later) — all fixed

A complete networked mission now runs start to finish: console queues a
mission -> egg over the wire -> pod loads it -> RIO live -> **all cockpit
heads render** -> mission ends on the console timer. Four fixes got here:

1. **Mission-load crash was RIO-OFF** (confirmed). Booting with the RIO
   enabled (`net_full.conf`: serial1 COM1 rxpollus:100 rxburst:16, full
   RIO+sound production boot) — the page fault at 00FF:219D is gone and the
   mission loads + runs. Real pods run RIO-on, so this was the whole thing.

2. **NE2000 `BX_PANIC` fixed in the emulator.** A full production boot runs
   the packet driver's internal loopback self-test, which sets the NIC's TCR
   inhibit-CRC bit; Bochs' `ne2000.cpp` `BX_PANIC`'d and aborted the whole
   emulator. Patched the TCR write handler to record crc_disable/ext_stoptx
   instead of panicking (harmless for an emulated NIC; pcap/host frames+CRCs).
   Committed copy: `vpx-device/ne2000.cpp`.

3. **Pod persistence via GO.BAT loop.** When the console has no mission
   queued, the pod connects, sees nothing, and cleanly exits (not a crash) —
   the real pod's GO.BAT immediately relaunches netnub. `net_loop.conf` +
   `net-boot/loop.bat` replicate that so the pod stays connected and ready.

4. **HEADLINE FIX — blank cockpit heads = NE2000/VDB I/O port collision.**
   All 5 MFD + radar heads decoded to pure black during a live mission even
   though the DOSBox SVGA gauge framebuffer was FULL (captured mid-mission:
   SENSOR CLUSTER/MYOMERS/SRM 4/mech wireframes/pilot name). Root cause: the
   VDB video splitter board is hardwired at **0x300-0x31A** (palettes
   0x300/0x308/0x310; `VDB_BASE` in vpxlog.cpp) and we'd put the NE2000 at
   `nicbase=300` — the NIC swallowed the game's VDB palette writes, so
   `vdb_pal` stayed zero and `pal_draw` mapped every index to black. The VDB
   spam into 0x300-0x31A also corrupted NIC registers, dropping the console's
   EndMission -> **the mission overran its timer** (second symptom, same
   cause). FIX (config-only): move the NIC to **0x340** in the DOSBox conf
   (`nicbase=340`) AND the DOS `NET.CFG` (`PORT 340`) — both must agree; the
   game uses odipkt so it's base-agnostic. VDB keeps 0x300 (game hardwires
   it; real pod's NIC lived elsewhere for this reason). Non-networked gauge
   runs never hit this (no NIC). Verified: heads render perfectly (radar with
   contact blips + SPEED/HEADING/ARMOR + mission clock; MFDs full) AND the
   mission ends cleanly on the timer (`Sending EndMission`, score 1000).
   Diagnostic recipe: `New-Item <VPX_DUMPDIR>\DUMP` mid-mission dumps
   win0/3/4.bmp; PrintWindow (flag 2, GL) the DOSBox SVGA window to prove the
   framebuffer has content; framebuffer-full + heads-black => palette/port.

Committed: `net_full.conf`, `net_loop.conf`, `net-boot/` (drivers, NET.CFG
@340, loop.bat, README), `vpx-device/ne2000.cpp`, `vpx-device/ethernet_pcap.cpp`.

## Post-reboot outage forensics + IRQ 3 conflict (2026-07-08/09)

A host reboot took the console<->pod link down for hours; every layer got
blamed before the real bug fell out. Findings, in the order they mattered:

- **TAP-Windows V9 "Bytes received" is ALWAYS 0** -- the driver never counts
  frames its user-mode app (SheepShaver) injects. Do not diagnose from the
  adapter-status dialogs: read the bridge-miniport counters (they do count)
  or sniff the wire (Npcap + ctypes; see render-bridge/probes/ for the
  pattern). Bridge/TAPs/SheepShaver prefs were all healthy the whole time.
- **`NO PACKET DRIVER FOUND` at netnub = wpcap.dll not on PATH** of the shell
  that launched DOSBox. launch_pod.ps1 now prepends
  `C:\Windows\System32\Npcap` itself so no shell can reproduce this.
- **THE REAL BUG -- IRQ 3 double-booking:** the plasma readout (serial2 =
  host COM2, added 2026-07-07) sits on IRQ 3, and the NE2000 was also on
  `nicirq=3`. The netnub phase works (COM2 not yet open: ARP answered, egg
  flows) -- then BTL4OPT opens the plasma port (`arg4=p`) and NIC RX dies
  for good. Looks exactly like a mid-boot wedge. Fix: **NIC on IRQ 10** in
  net_full.conf / net_diag.conf / net_loop.conf AND net-boot/NET.CFG
  (`INT 10`) -- DOSBox device and ODI driver must agree. Verified: pod
  stayed ARP-responsive through two full missions with plasma live.
- **Console's live IP is 200.0.0.10** (not .1 as assumed from the gateway
  entry); it ARP-scans the cockpit roster slots (.11, .112-.120)
  continuously while looking for pods.
- **Zombie console session between missions:** netnub exits after each
  mission without closing TCP (no FIN -- the DOS stack just vanishes).
  Console 4.10 keeps waiting on the dead socket; with the pod sitting at a
  DOS pause for minutes, classic Mac TCP retransmit backoff grows to
  multi-minute intervals and the console looks permanently wedged (silent
  on the wire). Operator fix: relaunch the Console app (app only). Real
  fix: behave like retail -- GO.BAT relaunched netnub within seconds, so
  the console's early retransmissions hit the fresh stack and recover.
  net_loop.conf (now FULL production parity: sound + plasma + IRQ 10) is
  the conf to use for multi-mission sessions; verify console self-recovery
  with it next time.
- **SoundFont upload measured (smldW device counters):** the game blindly
  re-uploads the full SBK on EVERY netnub->game launch -- counter goes
  3,513,581 -> exactly 7,027,162 per card, no validation read-back, so
  pre-loading the cards cannot short-circuit it. BUT the re-upload itself
  is only ~20-30s; the slow first boot is dominated by something else
  (pacer question still open). Loading a new egg into the already-running
  game does NOT re-upload.
- Manual mission-N start in the same DOSBox: `32rtm.exe -x` (saying
  "resident" is fine) then `netnub -p -f btl4opt > nn.log`; TSRs and SET
  env persist from the autoexec.

## Open questions / notes
- Exact TCP listen port(s) — not in the source grep; get from NETNUB.EXE
  or a capture at milestone 3.
- Does WATTCP need a real ARP peer for the gateway at boot, or does it
  proceed with a static IP and only ARP on connect? Affects whether the
  stand-in console must answer ARP for 200.0.0.1.
- `NETCLIENT=PNW` (PARAMETR.bat) selects Personal NetWare — file-server
  side, not the game's TCP path; likely irrelevant to egg delivery and
  can stay unloaded under emulation.
- RP uses the identical MUNGA net brick + its own WATTCP.CFG — everything
  here carries over to Red Planet.